Saturday is the Toronto Sceptres home opener, and we're all excited for that game in their new venue, the Coca-Cola Coliseum at the Exhibition Place. The Sceptres already had games there in the playoffs last season, but now it's a mostly permanent home, and there's lots of people who will be going that may have never been there before.
The Coliseum is a bit of a quirky venue. When you zoom out on the map to see all of Toronto, especially if you don't travel through the city very often, you would expect it to be highly accessible and easy to reach, but the reality when you are there on the ground is a bit different.
I've been going there to cover Marlies games since 2016, and even visited for games before that. I've probably made the trek in from various starting points around Toronto and as far away as Hamilton somewhere around 200 times now, so I thought to share with those who are new to the experience what to expect.
Getting There
Go Transit
GO Transit's Lakeshore lines have a convenient stop at Exhibition Place that is in my opinion the best way to get there from out of town, or even from the stations in Scarbourogh or southern Etobicoke, but not for the home opener!
Go Transit has cancelled all service on the Lakeshore line between Union Station and Oakville on November 30 and December 1. There will be no train service there at all.
Outside of this unusual disruption, it's generally a reliable and on time way to get to the game, plus on weekends you have the option of the $10 day pass e-ticket, which is a flat rate any distance pass that will cover your trip there and back, and has ticket verification through your phone (PRESTO not required). There is also a covered walkway for 90% of the route, handy for when it's raining.
The only issue I have is this is sometimes advertised as more convenient than reality. I have found hilarious real estate language is used where the Exhibition station is described as "steps away" from the Coliseum. It's not far, but don't think you exit the train and walk right into the arena.
Even as a fast walker, it would take me 7 to 8 minutes to get off the train, out of the station—if you are arriving from the east you also have to go down the stairs through the tunnel, which is often very crowded, and then back up on the other side—then walk down the road, cross it and go through the pedestrian corridor to the opposite side of the arena, then turn and walk over to the general entrance.
If you have any mobility issues, or perhaps have a gaggle of toddlers with you, it could take even longer. Now imagine that trek when it's January and -20ºC. All this is to say, don't try and time your trip on a train that arrives at Exhibition GO station only 15 or 20 minutes before the start of the game because you probably won't make it inside in time for puck drop. More on that later.
TTC
For those who live in or around the downtown core, the TTC is another option to get there.
First, be warned that right now in November and December there is no streetcar service at all to the Exhibition Loop as the overhead wires are being replaced on Fleet Street. This impacts both the 511 Bathurst and 509 Harbourfront streetcars. There is a bus replacement service available, but it's a bit complicated. Click through this link to learn about it:
If you've ever used those bus replacements before, you know how they are somewhat... unpredictable. Sometimes they are faster than the streetcar, sometimes they are much slower. The traffic in the area is terrible, and somehow it can be even worse on Saturday than on a weekday morning rush hour, and the bus can get caught up in that.
Even when the work is complete and the streetcars return, the 509 and 511 trips can be excruciatingly long, even in the parts where they have a full right-of-way as the TTC is as always unpredictable in its operations. This is again another route where you want to have a good time buffer to arrive on time in case something goes wrong on your trip or you miss a connection.
An alternative I like is to use the 504 King streetcar and get off at Atlantic Avenue and walk straight south through Liberty Village. It takes you to the Exhibition GO station and you can walk through that previously mentioned tunnel and go under the tracks to the Exhibition grounds (bridge over top soon to be opened too). Atlantic Ave. also has a variety of counter-service restaurants just south of King Street where you can quickly get something to eat and sit down and munch out before going to the game.
There is also the Dufferin bus to get you to the Exhibition grounds, though as always that service is a bit spotty too.
Driving
Are you insane?
OK. I know some may have no option but to drive, especially for the home opener with the trains cancelled, so you will have to traverse the nightmare that is the QEW/Gardiner/Lake Shore Blvd.. There is plenty of surface parking around the arena. There is also underground parking beneath the adjacent convention centre which costs ALL THE MONIES.
There is no further advice here other than you have to plan for a highly variable trip length and very long delays. You can leave at the exact same time and wind up arriving an hour early for one game, and then 10 minutes late for the next. Bring some snacks to eat and some water to drink in the car in case you get seriously stuck on the way. I have been in that scenario recently on Lake Shore Blvd. where the cars simply did not move at all for about ten minutes.
May fortune favour the foolish.
When you arrive
I think I've already said this three times, but why not one more? GET. THERE. EARLY.
This is especially true for the home opener on Saturday, as it will likely be very crowded. The Coliseum has only one single general entrance. For Marlies games they do have a separate "season ticket holder entrance," which is really only a branch off the general entrance, though my understanding is the Marlies have fewer season ticket holders than the Sceptres so I don't know what their setup will be, but the important part is this is not like Scotiabank Arena where there are several entrance gates, there's basically only one main entrance and you have to get in line with everyone else.
By around 20 minutes before the game starts there will no doubt be a backlog of people trying to get in. The Coliseum has the usual security measures you would expect from a large venue today, including bag searches, metal detectors and wanding if the metal detector alarm trips on you. You may have to empty your pockets of any items, etc. It's not quite airport style security, but it's close, and that does slow things down when there's a sudden surge of people arriving in that 20 minute window before the start of the game. The lineup can grow to be well over 100 people long and stretch out the doors at that time.
This goes with the advice above about not trying to time your arrival only 15 minutes before the start of the game. I would suggest no less than 30 minutes to avoid the surge. Also, if you arrive at that time you can get down to the glass and watch the warm-up by the teams, which is actually pretty cool as hockey players all have their personal warm-up rituals that you get to see.
Food and Drink
While Marlies and Sceptres tickets for games at the Coliseum are far less than tickets to Leafs games, the concessions are still basically the same prices you pay at Scotiabank Arena. A veg slice from the Pizza Pizza booth, with taxes and the suggested 18% tip that pops up (yes, they do that there too) will cost you $9.09. That being said, there is a wide variety of concessions available, including Tim Horton's, Smoke's Poutinerie, and also the regular ones selling the usual hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, and candy. So it's up to you, but if you are on a tight budget, eat before you go or on the way.
Alcoholic drinks are exactly the same. Expect to see cans of beer starting at $8 and higher for premium beer. Mixed drinks are even higher. A double Caesar will cost you about $25, plus tip.
Oh, and remember it is a cashless venue. This has been a thing for about three years now, but it still catches some people by surprise. They will not accept cash for anything in the arena. There are no exceptions. You must use debit or credit.
When you leave
Sceptres win! WOOOOOO! Now it's time to leave.
My top advice is two words: be patient.
No matter what method you used to get there, when you leave it will be crowded, people will be slow because they are tired, there will be that one guy who decides to stand in everyone's way while staring at his phone. It's not going to be fun.
This area is not a pedestrian wonderland, despite it having multiple venues for thousands of people to attend regular events, so watch carefully for cars trying to cut through if you have to cross the road.
If you are driving, it's a nightmare to get out. It can take 15 minutes in the queue of cars simply to exit the Exhibition grounds and get on to Lake Shore Boulevard, and another 15 minutes from there to get on the Gardiner going east or west. Tip: the fastest way to get on the eastbound Gardiner is actually to go west and use the eastbound on-ramp at the west end of the Ex grounds via British Columbia Rd. No tips though for the westbound Gardiner; you will be fed to the wolves of traffic no matter what route you take.
If you are taking the TTC, it's hit or miss. I really can't explain it, but sometimes you show up to the stop at the loop and find five vehicles waiting to pick up passengers, other times you show up to nothing and wait 20 minutes.
If you are using GO, make sure you have the schedule written down so you know if you have to rush or can walk leisurely. Again, it's 7-8 minutes to get to the station platforms at a brisk pace, more if you have to cut through the tunnel, and if it's freezing cold you don't want to just miss the train and then have to wait 30 minutes for the next one.
GO SCEPTRES GO!
Here's hoping for a great season and that you have a great time at the Coliseum.
Many years ago I lived on Balliol Street in midtown, and I am still flummoxed about how that should be pronounced, especially as many people said "buh-loyal", which doesn't even match the spelling. Apparently it's an old Gaelic word, so who knows?
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